Scotty

[li]Discuss the game in this very thread right here :004:[/li] [li]Get to the chatroom HERE[/li] [li]See the subs / bookings / report - after the game starts - HERE[/li] [li]See the stats etc after the game has ended by choosing today's game from HERE[/li] [li]At the game ? - Dont forget to vote in the POLL after the game has ended. HERE [/li] [li]At the game ? SUBMIT A MATCH REPORT [/li] LINEUPS ICT [attach=1] ABERDEEN [attach=2]

Dont listen then not a problem for overseas fans - this is a blocked game :009:

UPDATE ..... WK 13 St Mirren V Rangers : no re-scheduled date yet WK 21 Gretna V St Mirren : no re-scheduled date yet Celtic V Rangers : 16th April 2008 @ 7:45PM WK 22 Motherwell V Celtic : 13th April 2008 @ 2 PM WK 30 Motherwell V Rangers : no re-scheduled date yet To add/change your prediction for previous weeks simply use the dropdown box on the prediction league screen and choose the week number.

A sensible post James and one that could be valid in any one of a number of threads right now. In most cases we don't know the full story .... In most cases what we hear comes from one side only .... However the sheer quantity of stories/rumours leaking out of the stadium right now and what seems to be a consistency or pattern of treatment of senior players is very worrying indeed. They can't all be troublemakers and something has to give soon.

I was surprised myself when checking this out so thought I would share !!! We have issued 34 squad numbers this season. Of the 34 numbers issued it looks like there could be a staggering FIFTEEN players unavailable because they are either on loan, now elsewhere, or "out of favour". If the 'manager' picks only those players who seem to be available and not in the bad books for some reason, then only 1 player of the 19 that are left will have to sit in the stands !!! Black, Ian - in the bad books ?? Brewster, Craig - retired Hart, Richie - leaving MacDonald, Ally - on loan (i think) McCaffrey, Stuart - on loan McDonald, Dean - out of favour (not Brew's type of player ... allegedly) Morgan, Alan - now at Killie Munro, Grant - in the bad books ?? Rankin, John - now at Hibs Ridgers, Ally - now at Elgin Sutherland, Zander - on loan Watt, Steven - out of favour ?? never seems to get in the squad at all Wilson, Barry - on loan Wood, Garry - on loan Wyness, Dennis - out of favour ?? That leaves ..... Bayne, Graham Cowie, Don Duff, Jamie Duncan, Russell Fraser, Michael Gillespie, Dale Hastings, Richard Imrie, Dougie Kerr, Guy Malkowski, Zbigniew McAllister, Rory McBain, Roy McGuire, Phil Niculae, Marius Paatelainen, Markus Proctor, David Rennie, Connor Tokely, Ross Vigurs, Iain I think Granty will be in the lineup but If the 'manager' were to base his selection on just the 19, then I guess we might line up like this (a scary thought) Fraser Proctor Tokely McGuire Hastings Cowie Duncan Imrie Paatelainen Bayne Niculae Subs: 7 from .... Zibi, Duff, Gillespie, Kerr, McAllister, McBain, Rennie, Vigurs

I started writing something similar to CaleyD yesterday .... a sort of perspective of ICT showing how the club has changed over the last few years. I knew it would be a mini novel so even started writing it in "word" instead of directly on the site but I got caught up at work and never finished it. I must say that CaleyD's finished article is pretty close to what I was going to try and say. I am not going to go into the problems that seem to be ripping the playing side of the club in half as CaleyD seems to have commented at length on this but I wanted to make a few additional comments about this website, the perception the club seem to have of the fans, and the lack of communication from the club. [li]We all love ICT, even those of us who hardly see a game these days because we live in another country or on another continent. We would not be here on this site, nor would we moan and groan so much if we did not feel so passionate about the club. I know some at the club write this site and others off as being so "neggy" but a lot of what is said on here comes straight from the heart of passionate supporters. Those supporters may not get it right all the time or express a point that others agree with or the way others like, but every single opinion counts because it comes from one of the club's customers.[/li] [br] [li]The club used to feel passionate about its fans or at least give that impression. As we climbed the lower divisions, David Sutherland acknowledged the fact that we had many people who made great efforts to come to ICT games from all over the country and mingled with the fans on more than one occasion either in a bar after the game (eg. Caley Inn a couple of times) or by hosting fans for drinks on away days a few times. (Yes IHE, we know he still owes you a large voddie/coke). He was also quick to speak out on issues affecting fans - coming to the supporters in the stands at Kilmarnock when the cup game was abandoned in the 28th minute, and speaking out about it for weeks in the press after that. He may have had ulterior motives, he may have been trying to make Tulloch's look good, or he may have been genuine, you decide ... but the simple fact is that whether true or not, he at least appeared to listen, and appeared to care. That feeling is long long gone. Real fans are now a nuisance, a necessary evil, something that has to be put up with once in a while by the hospitality customers or corporate sponsors ... or so it seems.[/li] [br] [li]The club used to talk to fans. Whether it was directly, or whether it was through a vehicle such as this site before, during or after its stint as the official site, the fans were viewed as being worthy of knowing at least some of what was going on. Not everything, but at least something, especially when it was positive. "Boardroom Banter", our monthly column supplied by Kenny Cameron when he was a director, and created by him along with myself, Ken Thompson and David Sutherland was warmly received. A portion of what was in it was perhaps written from a particular angle that made the club look good (some might say propaganda even) but it also carried answers to questions/concerns that fans had raised on the website during the previous month(s). I used to trawl the boards and submit those questions to the board and Kenny would come back to me with what was usually some decent answers. [/li] [br] [li]David Sutherland realised the potential of the internet very early on and also realised that releasing information via a site like this which was more sympathetic towards the club, or more prone to be on the club's side was a good way to get information out that didnt try to spin the story like the press might. More recently however, the silence has been deafening, secrecy abounds (even if it is sieve-like), and again, the paying customers are viewed as nothing more than an inconvenience not worthy of talking to. What little is released for public consumption tends to be stuff that is commercial in nature and of benefit to the club rather than the customers and only a select few at the stadium ever bother to communicate with fans.[/li]

There has to be a first time to beat the Dons and this week is as good as any. The form book says we should get humped but as we all know as ICT fans, things dont always go according to the form book !!! However, as some have said, that can only happen if the players perform for the fans which they have not being doing recently. Whatever the off-field problems may be, and whoever is responsible for them, the simple fact is that all fans should support the team on the park if they appear to be making an effort. I dont subscribe to the boo everything and everyone scenario if an effort is being made. BUT If there is no interest shown by the players or an apparent lack of effort then all bets are off. As for Brewster, as vocal as I have been in stating my personal opinion that it is time for him to go, I dont subscribe to the thought of booing him for the whole game either. That is disrespectful and stooping to a level some of us are accusing him of dropping to. I do however think he should be sent a strong message from the fans and one way to achieve this is to sing just a few songs throughout the game ... no caley - clap - clap - clap or anything like that but 90 minutes worth of songs for Black, Munro (if not playing), Wyness, Wilson, Rankin & even Caff. Some people may not want some or all of these players at the club, and they may be right, but the message to the manager is to show the displeasure in how he is going about things and how he (and others) appear to be ripping the heart out of our club.

As i am known for my long and elaborate answers, I will say this...... NO.

I have a feeling that a lot of what we hear as rumour can become somewhat distorted, either on purpose or because it has filtered through so many people by the time it comes out .... Its a bit like the urban myth (?) about the army commander who sent a message to HQ which said "send reinforcements, we're going to advance" and by the time it reached the commanders it had become "send 3 and 4 pence, we're going to a dance" ..... However, even if the content is distorted in some instances, there has to be something happening before the content can be created in the first place, and the club do themselves no favours with their zero communication stance. By not saying anything they allow rumours to grow arms and legs and sometimes take on a life of their own. I guess we will see what happens this weekend with Granty and Black, but if there is substance to even a few of the rumours we have heard over the last month or two then there needs to be huge changes behind the scenes at the TCS if we are not to implode.

In two minds about this one ..... Our defence certainly misses him as he was rock solid, and our team also misses his leadership qualities but is there a way back after leaving for "family reasons" and could we afford his wages assuming that he would have got a big boost when he went to DUFC.

If true, then :021: for Granty. Some (including me) have questioned his suitability for the captain's role but this shows that he does have leadership qualities and the balls to stand up, voice concerns on behalf of the squad and unfortunately - it would seem - suffer the consequences for having the audacity to question those making the (bad) decisions. I have been on a few business management courses over the years and it looks like Brew fits right into one of the pre-defined profiles ... that of an (insecure) autocratic leader who tries to rule by fear .... funnily enough, that type of manager - in most businesses - is the one who gets the least out of his workers because of the unhappy environment, and is most likely doomed to failure ! Not knowing any facts on this I wouldn't want to comment on whats going on but I believe Blackie has six yellow cards therefore is not suspended. He's had seven all together but one of those was in a cup game. From our stats pages on the site ...... 6 yellows in SPL, 1 in cup as Alex says. I believe that would make him eligible for selection. [attach=1]

i have submitted a tech support ticket to our hosts .... it looks like the load on the server (from other sites presumably as there are not a lot of people on here right now) is very high. I ran the site maintenance routines a few minutes ago instead of letting them run at 3am - hopefully that will also have a slight effect.

Not sure if the 'x-man' scored either of his 2 international goals whilst at ICT (think it may have been just before he joined) but Richard Hastings certainly did. He scored a 'golden goal' in extra-time in the quarter finals against Mexico on Feb 20th 2000 (after flying out directly from that Celtic game). Canada won the competition that year and Hastings was awarded as "Rookie of the Tournament". From the Canadian message boards tonight, Hastings is being mentioned as one of the few that get pass marks. seems he had a decent game.

Wonder if that has any relation to the Grant Munro / Ian Black rumour in the rumour mill ?

Why do you hate to say it ? Surely its good that an Inverneshkai player is doing well on the international stage. Maybe it will translate into SPL performances if the apparent backroom problems can be smoothed out ! Hastings was playing according to some comments I have seen on boards over here and despite the result had a decent game.

This is all very smelly ....... ?I was shocked and gutted by what happened this week - and I don't know why it happened. Last Thursday the manager indicated I could sign the deal on Friday. Nothing happened so I expected to sign it this week. When I spoke to the manager on Monday he told me the deal was off until the summer. It's his decision but it's all very strange and I can't say I'm happy at all.? Dennis Wyness - This week ?We thought that we had put together a deal that would be suitable for Dennis Wyness and, on the Friday, our secretary got in touch with his agent to let him see what our offer was. However, he then came back to us looking for more money.? Graeme Bennett - This week So which is it ? did CB tell him he could sign on Friday or not ? According to Dennis, he did, according to the DoF the agent only got the offer on the Friday ? Someone is not telling the truth. ?I should have an answer from the two of them by the start of the week. Both are important players for the team. Ross Tokely has committed himself to the club and now it is just Russell and Dennis. Even though Dennis has not started the last few games he is also a very important player for us." Craig Brewster - March 7th ?Dennis is very close to agreeing a 2 year deal, he has done well for the Club ... and is very much part of my future plans. Dennis has experienced the good times at ICT and hopefully he has a few more to come yet. He hasn't featured has much this season, firstly due to a hamstring problem and then because we have only been playing with one striker but I know Dennis can come on at anytime and have an impact." Craig Brewster - March 8th "My agent is dealing with it just now and it has taken a bit longer than I had hoped, but I think it will be sorted out soon. It has dragged on a bit, but I have been trying to get the best deal for myself and my family. We are near enough at an agreement and I am pretty confident it will all go through" Dennis Wyness - 12th March ?I just felt that his performance was disappointing last week and thought that he was in a comfort zone. I?ll see if I can get a reaction.? Craig Brewster - last week ?I spoke to Dennis on Monday and told him the contract was off the table. I also said I would look at it again at the end of the season. I'm disappointed with his performances and I felt the contract issue had dragged on too long.? Craig Brewster - last week "On the Friday, our secretary got in touch with his agent to let him see what our offer was. However, he then came back to us looking for more money. It was at that point that Craig Brewster decided to delay the decision until the end of the season because it had been dragging on for so long." Graeme Bennett - this week Again - fairly fuzzy about the real story ... was it performance or was it the contract ? depending on which article you read, it seems to be one, the other, or both. Bearing in mind that Duncan had also not signed at this point and wasnt exactly stellar in the same game then where is the consistency. Shouldnt he have had his offer withdrawn too ? Dennis appears to be happy to sign, the club appear happy to sign him and it all goes pear shaped at the end. More to this than meets the eye methinks. lots of spin coming back to bite someone on the *** !!! I know Graeme Bennett, and most of the time when talking about ICT he shoots straight from the hip so I give a little more credence to his remarks than some of the others. If we give his remarks some validity, and carefully read the plethora of articles in various media over the last 2 or 3 weeks then the opinion I have formed has moved slightly to this scenario ...... Everything had been agreed verbally and CB may have said he can sign on the Friday despite the formal offer not having been presented to the agent. Dennis and the club are at this point both quite happy. The agent got it on the Friday - and despite Dennis' happiness to sign - perhaps tried to squeeze a little more out of the deal. At this point the club over-reacted by withdrawing it and the player is understandably quite upset because he didnt know of the 'squeeze'. The one line in the Courier article that stood out for me in reading this is the final line .... "Despite repeated attempts, Wyness' agent could not be contacted" .. this and the fact that he hasnt come out denying it yet makes Grassa's version that bit more believable. Even if this scenario is true, or close to the mark, I still do not think this absolves Mr Brewster from criticism over his handling of it. Reading the timeline of the contract talks, it seems that Dennis has been close to signing for some time, the club were happy to sign him and there was perhaps just a few final wrinkles to sort out before the paperwork was sorted. On the Friday it appears he was happy to sign what the club had offered and yet, on the Monday, that offer is withdrawn. No player covered themselves in glory in that game, but the manager freely admits that Denzil is part of his plans, and that the current system doesnt allow him to be used as often as before, yet cites performance issues as the reason for withdrawing the contract before changing the story a few days later and saying it was because the contract was dragging on. Mixed messages or what !!!! The cherry on top of this is that Russell Duncan and/or his agent were the ones who had been threatened via the press with the withdrawal of a contract offer because those negotiations had dragged on longer, yet he is given a few extra days after seeing what happens to Dennis to sign on the dotted line. Dennis Wyness. Scapegoat for a bad team performance ? or a pawn in the negotiations to get Duncan to sign ? It doesnt really matter ... either way he has been treated badly and those involved should still hang their heads in shame.

... it's almost over !!!

TCF - are you just plucking names from the air ? Suggestions are all about quality rather than quantity !!! Seriously ... Mo Johnston ? ...... Mo feckin Johnston ? I watched all but 1 of TFC's home games in person last season and let me assure you that ICT do not (or should not) want Mo !!! I would rather have Mr Brewster. Mo has come across reasonably well with the fans as he is 'accessible' but his tactical abilities have come into question quite often. It may not be a fair comparison because of the draft system, salary cap, and various categories of players, but his dealings in the player market have also been pondered a lot !!!

My sentiments also.

As a matter of interest ... in the "reality" we are talking about - I wonder how many of us on here are shareholders ? :024: :023:

The information I received was that Dennis was ready to sign on the Friday but someone from the club was not available to dot all the i's and cross all the t's. in other words, not Dennis' fault. The guy wants to stay in Inverness because his family is settled so I cant see him, or his agent, being hard to deal with other than trying to get the best deal he could. He certainly didnt look like he let it drag on like Duncan's agent appeared to. Seems the spin from the other side is starting now .... but as Dennis now looks to be out the door, I am sure the real story will come out when he starts playing elsewhere. However as none of us were sitting in on the talks then there is a possibility that the other angle could be true .... personally, I dont believe it, but I have been wrong before, will be wrong again, and if proved so will be happy to amend my signature. BUT if the latest spin is proved to be factually incorrect then that will not go down well ......

I can confirm that Stevico is neither "Squirrel" or Marty. To be honest, not sure what name he used to post under and cant be bothered investigating but I think most of us realise he is not a director or club official but a friend of Marius. It is only natural that he would defend a friend. I have done exactly the same thing and as many know, my actions in doing so hastened this site's reversion from official to unofficial status. It was coming anyway, but my actions when forced to make a choice definitely sped the process along !!!! Anyhoo, back on topic ... ICT has always had a number of concentric circles in its corridors of power where members of each were privy to increasing degrees, amounts and types of information depending on how close they got to the centre. As we have moved up the leagues, these circles have decreased in size and quantity and less and less people are included. I say this from the perspective of someone who was - at one time - perhaps regarded as being in one of the "outer" circles when running the official site, who got the odd glimpse of the next level, and who has also seen others excluded from things on the basis of who they were, or seen people have genuine offers of (voluntary) help discarded because of suspicion or wariness of their (non-existent) ulterior motives. I would also add that a lot of this pre-dates the current chairman, DoF, and Chief Exec. Personally, I don't give a rat's *** about being part of the in-crowd - in fact being able to actually have an opinion is both refreshing and cathartic - I just want to watch (if possible) or listen to ICT matches, grab a few beers with fellow fans on my infrequent trips home, and generally blend in with the normal crowd. I just wish that ICT would realise that the fans helped build this club through all the good times as well as the bad and even the most vociferous of critics have a passion for ICT that they would far rather turn to praise .... but we will only do that when and where it is due. It is at times like this that I wish we had archive copies of the message board postings from Feb 8-10th 2000, or from the weekend where we beat Hearts in the cup, or reactions to David Sutherland's financial rescue plan, or many other times where 99% of the postings were ultra positive. It is not and has not always been doom and gloom on here but if the club insist on not releasing any information, on screwing up their PR at every turn, and in distrusting the fans who care about the club then they only have themselves to blame for any and all criticism levelled at them.

Can I choose a future word ... RELEGATION rel?e?gate ?verb (used with object), -gat?ed, -gat?ing. 1. to send or consign to an inferior position, place, or condition. 2. to consign or commit (a matter, task, etc.), as to a person. 3. to assign or refer (something) to a particular class or kind. 4. to send into exile; banish.

I would agree - but just pointing out that we have already seen what could be a sign ;)

You seem quite proud of that ... "we still have a chance to finish bottom ..." how exciting !!! He needs to go on a horticulture course .... he's pruning the good wood and leaving the dead wood in his own office.